


Viewpoint

by Yusuke (foxjar)



Series: Coup de Foudre [5]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, New Years, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 12:18:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17264087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxjar/pseuds/Yusuke
Summary: Yusuke’s late Christmas present for Akira is a charcoal sketch of his boyfriend’s eyes. It is a work of art — anything with Akira as the inspiration would have to be.Continuation ofMonochrome.





	Viewpoint

**Author's Note:**

> 15 Minute Fic prompts: present, compete.

Yusuke’s late Christmas present for Akira is a charcoal sketch of his boyfriend’s eyes. He sprays it with a fixative, then, after it dries, he slips it into a protective plastic sleeve.

It is a work of art — anything with Akira as the inspiration would have to be — and Yusuke wonders where his boyfriend will display it. Not alongside the Sayuri, of course; even having the two pieces in the same room might dampen Yusuke’s mood, as the two contrasting pieces clash. They are both full of love, and yet so different. 

Yusuke encases the drawing with two small pieces of cardboard to protect it. Then, before he can fuss over choosing wrapping paper, he cuts a square from a deep red paper; red, like Joker’s gloves, so there is at least some sentiment behind it.

Everyone is meeting at Leblanc for New Years. After everything that happened — the Phantom Thieves, the Metaverse, and everything that entailed — they all still manage to spend time together often. While they may no longer be bound by such an obligation as phantom thieves who steal hearts for the better of the world, they are still bound by an unwavering loyalty to one another.

When Yusuke arrives, he manages to slip his present onto the booth seat hidden behind the other gifts on the table. He is eyeing the large pile, cringing at its haphazard display, when Akira walks over to greet him. His hands are tucked into his pockets, and he is grinning; his eyes dark beneath his thick-rimmed glasses.

Yusuke thinks back on how trying to figure out what everyone else thought he should give Akira for Christmas led him astray. When they first started dating, Yusuke assumed he would have to work hard to retain Akira’s interest, and to do that, he had to study how other relationships worked. Being with Akira has always made him feel insecure, in a way; like he has to change himself to keep his boyfriend around.

He can see now that his initial insecurity was wrong. If Akira wanted to date someone different from Yusuke, he would not have asked him out.

Akira wants him, and only him; he can see it in that grin, and Yusuke would love nothing more than to meet his lips with a kiss. He refrains, not wishing to push too much on his boyfriend too soon — and PDA does seem like it might be too much, but that could also be Yusuke thinking too much about how other people do things again. Instead, he offers him a smile.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Akira says, as if they have not spent time together every day since Akira came back to visit for the break.

Yusuke cocks his head at the choice of words. “Was I not expected?”

“That’s not it.” Akira shakes his head, then reaches out to grab Yusuke’s hand. It is still such a new feeling — being touched by another person, and wanting to touch them in kind — that it makes Yusuke’s chest flutter. “I’m just...really glad you’re here.”

They stand in the corner of Leblanc for a while, just holding hands and testing out a glance every so often. While it delights Yusuke to see everyone — they are like family to him — it is becoming increasingly difficult not to pull Akira in for a kiss. After what feels like seconds, and not anywhere near enough time, Akira pulls his hand away to greet Ryuji, who has arrived in the typical manner of fashionably late.

The celebration proceeds with everyone slurping noodles, with casual banter in between each bite. While the TV is on, showing a singing competition for New Years, it does not seem to hold anyone’s attention for very long. This day is about each other, and everyone chats amicably, as if Akira is not returning to his hometown in a few days.

When it is time to open presents, Yusuke volunteers to hand them out so that no one can find his present for Akira before he is ready to give it.

It is after midnight, when the distant chiming of the New Years bells have ceased, that the ex-Phantom Thieves begin to thin out. Near one in the morning, it is just Yusuke and Akira left; Ann teases them about “having fun” before leaving with Ryuji.

Leblanc is much quieter without Ryuji’s incessant yowling, but with his boyfriend here, Yusuke never finds it lonely. Akira places his hand on the table, his fingers reaching forward, and Yusuke meets them with his own.

As their hands twine together, Yusuke says, “I have a gift for you.”

Akira squeezes his hand. “I told you, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“This wasn’t quite ‘got,’ or at least not in the sense I’ve come to understand,” Yusuke says, retrieving his semi-hidden gift. When he turns around to hand it to his boyfriend, Akira is right behind him — so close, he can smell the flowery scent of his freshly washed clothes.

Yusuke bites back a tangent about the fire of his affection for Akira, and how it drives him to create. It has been nearly two years since they first met — when Yusuke found him uncouth for trying to upend the life he knew, despite the well-meaning intentions — and he still lacks the ability to express how he feels. His art does speak volumes, but he wonders if it is enough to satisfy Akira’s current appetite.

It does not satisfy his own, Yusuke thinks, as he watches Akira carefully unwrap the gift. 

“My face?” Akira asks, his voice tinged with curiosity as his eyes dart across the drawing, appreciating every inch of the work.

“Your face, yes. But see, your eyes,” Yusuke explains. “They are...versatile. In one moment they are at peace, gazing upon nothing in particular — then in the next, they are a raging sea, and I feel as though they are about to swallow me whole.”

Akira raises his head from the drawing and smiles at him; that golden grin that sets Yusuke’s heart aflame. “My eyes eating you doesn’t sound very pleasant.”

“Oh, dearest Akira.” Yusuke plucks the art from his hands, setting it upon the table, before kissing his knuckles. “Your gaze ravaging me is the epitome of ‘pleasant.’”

“I didn’t know you felt that way,” Akira teases, using his free hand to pull Yusuke in for a kiss. It is chaste, their lips brushing, and Akira seems content to leave it that way as he starts to pull away. 

Yusuke crushes his lips against Akira’s, opening his mouth and feeling a twinge of glee when Akira reciprocates the motion. It is Akira who first tests the water, dipping his tongue into Yusuke’s mouth. In his mind, Yusuke can picture the stormy sea of Akira’s eyes again, but this is even better, as the physical sensations pull him in. The kiss is only timid and careful for a few moments until Yusuke starts to kiss back harder, gripping Akira’s waist tightly to hold him against him. His fingers clench Akira’s jacket, and he can feel the fabric bunch up beneath them.

When Akira does finally untangle himself from his boyfriend’s embrace, Yusuke finds himself at a loss. He is sure he has pushed too far, too soon; that Akira will chide him about his insatiable appetite for Akira’s touch.

“Don't worry. It’s not a competition," Akira says, carding his hands through Yusuke’s hair, who leans into the caress. He closes his eyes, sinking into the feeling of acceptance. 

It will be a competition, Yusuke thinks, for as long as this pesky insecurity continues to torment him. But with Akira so doting of him — his patience, his jovial teasing, his tenderness — Yusuke is determined to conquer it.


End file.
